roommates by far, which wasn't really saying all that much, but Jimmy's mother had schooled him in the kind of etiquette that was hard to shake, especially when his mind was on other things.
Of course, the effect was somewhat spoiled by the fact that he wasn't wearing a shirt over his flannel pajama pants, and his legendary bare chest and rippling bicep muscles and sculpted abs were on full display. It would be easy to envy Jimmy his build if he wasn't entirely unaware of the effect it had on women, since Jimmy was a certified genius who, in typical mad scientist fashion, was usually only barely aware of the world around him.
But something had brought him to Cal's room at...he glanced at the clock on his bedside table: 4:30am.
"This better be good," he growled.
"It's, ah, rather urgent. I caught someone trying to break into the farmhouse. I locked her in the bathroom and called the cops, but she's yelling her head off and she wants to talk to you for some reason. Who is she, Cal?"
Cal was already reaching for his shoes, jamming them on his feet without socks. "You called the cops ? You couldn't have asked me first?"
Confusion passed over Jimmy's face. "Well, you're not a cop yet, technically, so you can't arrest her."
"Arrest her! Who said anything about arresting her? She's not dangerous, Jimmy, she's just—"
He bit off his words, cursing himself for not confiding in his roommates earlier. He just never believed Roan would come back and break in again after the other day. After all, she'd given him her word.
Her word . Which obviously wasn't worth the breath it took to utter it. Anger propelled him to the closet, where he pulled on a jacket. She'd said whatever he wanted to hear. And why not? Cal had fallen for it, no questions asked, like a damn rookie. What he'd done went against everything he'd learned in his training, not to mention violating a code of ethics he hadn't yet earned the right to defend.
"We've got to let her go," he snapped, pushing past Jimmy. "Put on a coat."
Jimmy looked down at his torso, as if surprised to discover that it was bare. "It was kind of cold out there," he admitted.
There would be time to rib Jimmy about his latest display of absentmindedness later. They went quickly and quietly through the house, so as not to wake their sleeping roommates, and Jimmy grabbed his coat from the hooks by the front door before they stepped out into the silent, star-studded night.
The moon was setting on the horizon, but the sun was still nowhere close to rising. The ranch was blanketed in a wintry peace so absolute that it took Cal's breath. Ice sparkled on the grass, the prior day's rain leaving a glittering reminder behind.
None of that mattered now. "How long ago did you make the call?"
"Right before I woke you up. I wouldn't have even come to get you except I figured you'd know the guys who responded and—"
"Look, Jimmy, I need you to trust me here. We're going to let the girl go. I can't be here when they arrive. Tell them something—anything—tell them I went fishing down at Havers Lake. And tell them she got away. I'll explain later."
"Cal, she had a knife . You've never mentioned her before so I have to deduce that you don't know her well. This situation doesn't lend itself to simple explanations and—"
"Jimmy." Cal stopped his friend with a hand on his shoulder. They were still several paces from the farmhouse steps, and precious seconds were slipping by fast. The responding car wouldn't have any reason to go lights and sirens if they didn't run into traffic, so he wouldn't even have any warning before they came down the road.
He took a deep breath. "I asked you to trust me, man. Please."
Jimmy glanced at him and held his gaze for only half a second before nodding. "Okay. Whatever you need."
Cal ducked under the low frame of the cellar entry. There was almost no light until Jimmy snapped on the flashlight. The beam bounced across the dusty cement floor, the rickety stairs as
Of course, the effect was somewhat spoiled by the fact that he wasn't wearing a shirt over his flannel pajama pants, and his legendary bare chest and rippling bicep muscles and sculpted abs were on full display. It would be easy to envy Jimmy his build if he wasn't entirely unaware of the effect it had on women, since Jimmy was a certified genius who, in typical mad scientist fashion, was usually only barely aware of the world around him.
But something had brought him to Cal's room at...he glanced at the clock on his bedside table: 4:30am.
"This better be good," he growled.
"It's, ah, rather urgent. I caught someone trying to break into the farmhouse. I locked her in the bathroom and called the cops, but she's yelling her head off and she wants to talk to you for some reason. Who is she, Cal?"
Cal was already reaching for his shoes, jamming them on his feet without socks. "You called the cops ? You couldn't have asked me first?"
Confusion passed over Jimmy's face. "Well, you're not a cop yet, technically, so you can't arrest her."
"Arrest her! Who said anything about arresting her? She's not dangerous, Jimmy, she's just—"
He bit off his words, cursing himself for not confiding in his roommates earlier. He just never believed Roan would come back and break in again after the other day. After all, she'd given him her word.
Her word . Which obviously wasn't worth the breath it took to utter it. Anger propelled him to the closet, where he pulled on a jacket. She'd said whatever he wanted to hear. And why not? Cal had fallen for it, no questions asked, like a damn rookie. What he'd done went against everything he'd learned in his training, not to mention violating a code of ethics he hadn't yet earned the right to defend.
"We've got to let her go," he snapped, pushing past Jimmy. "Put on a coat."
Jimmy looked down at his torso, as if surprised to discover that it was bare. "It was kind of cold out there," he admitted.
There would be time to rib Jimmy about his latest display of absentmindedness later. They went quickly and quietly through the house, so as not to wake their sleeping roommates, and Jimmy grabbed his coat from the hooks by the front door before they stepped out into the silent, star-studded night.
The moon was setting on the horizon, but the sun was still nowhere close to rising. The ranch was blanketed in a wintry peace so absolute that it took Cal's breath. Ice sparkled on the grass, the prior day's rain leaving a glittering reminder behind.
None of that mattered now. "How long ago did you make the call?"
"Right before I woke you up. I wouldn't have even come to get you except I figured you'd know the guys who responded and—"
"Look, Jimmy, I need you to trust me here. We're going to let the girl go. I can't be here when they arrive. Tell them something—anything—tell them I went fishing down at Havers Lake. And tell them she got away. I'll explain later."
"Cal, she had a knife . You've never mentioned her before so I have to deduce that you don't know her well. This situation doesn't lend itself to simple explanations and—"
"Jimmy." Cal stopped his friend with a hand on his shoulder. They were still several paces from the farmhouse steps, and precious seconds were slipping by fast. The responding car wouldn't have any reason to go lights and sirens if they didn't run into traffic, so he wouldn't even have any warning before they came down the road.
He took a deep breath. "I asked you to trust me, man. Please."
Jimmy glanced at him and held his gaze for only half a second before nodding. "Okay. Whatever you need."
Cal ducked under the low frame of the cellar entry. There was almost no light until Jimmy snapped on the flashlight. The beam bounced across the dusty cement floor, the rickety stairs as
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